Sîana Taithôn
Sîana Taithôn, known as the Temptress to later generations, was an Empress of Tarsis and the last of her dynasty in the middle of the Age of Zeal. The house of Taithôn received a slice of the Guilds' revenue each year, and became fabulously wealthy. However, all good Tarsins know that wealth corrupts, and the virtuous Taithôns who had driven out the heretics before them became mired in degeneracy and debauchery. Sîana's father died of drug-related issues, and her uncle, Emperor Sîchorîôs the Drunkard, managed to fall off the Imperial Citadel. Some speculate she herself was behind this, but this was never more than conjecture from paranoid individuals; a fifteen year-old princess simply did not murder her uncle. Now Empress in her own right, Sîana fell victim to only some of the vices of her predecessors, but with even greater avarice and a masterful cunning her forefathers lacked. Through guile, deception, and intrigue, she gained control of an even greater share of the Guildsmens' income, and soon enough a good portion of the World economy's wealth flowed directly into her hands. Sîana ruled only for fourteen years, but in that time she became perhaps on of the richest individuals who ever lived, and was not shy about it. Future historians became fascinated by her, and many fictional tales that take place in those days are sure to at least mention her ongoing reign. Part of the allure of Empress Sîana was her mysterious fate. The Guild masters grew tired of her stealing all their money, so they called Bâlôs Thôvis, Duke of Thôvîon, to remove her. The Duke had grown disgusted by the magnificent opulence of the later Taithôns, which included a full interior remodeling in the Taithônic style of an ancient battleship that had served the Savior himself. He was more than happy to oblige the Guilds and take the throne for himself. The arkanin of Othaen joined him in this endaevour, too new to affairs to realize outsiders weren't supposed to interfere in Tarsin politics. It would not be the last time they broke this convention, though. Rather than stay to fight the Duke and his alien allies and risk losing everything she'd gained, Empress Sîana and her loyalists took the entire Imperial treasury and fled with their fleet (including the battleship) beyond the Empire. Some say she created her own Empire beyond the reach of Thôvis, some say her fleet was lost in the ether and her vast fortune is waiting to be discovered, some say she joined the Sǎrthîm, some say she never disappeared at all, and actually married Bâlôs Thôvis and continued her rule in secret, with him as a front. No one really knows for certain, but her fate remains a source of many a tall tale. Unfortunately for the reputed virtue of Empress Sîana, she was assigned the moniker of "the Temptress," which at that time meant that she was very willing to offer opponents generous gifts in return for their cooperation. However, the meaning of the word has broadened in the Tarsin language, and definitely has other connotations in the Earthman's English, producing a very different vision of the Empress than she was in reality for the unlearned on both sides. When Earthmen first learned of her, they believed her to be a romantic Cleopatra-esque queen, rather than the mix of Wall Street-esque criminal and galactic bank-robber that she really was. Regardless, the Tarsins remember Sîana fondly, even if its only for legends and stories she left them with. Category:Coalition of Planets